The OptoSource Blog

Risk analysis for collegiate athletes

  

 Email Article  

Tweet  

  

Risk analysis for collegiate athletes is important program for sports performance professionals. It is an essential key to increasing the probability of team success with hopes of reducing the occurrence of accidents and injury by individual athletes.

Pre-season screening and baseline testing
What better way to put an emphasis in the detection and correction of any negative movement pattern, wellness habits and need for corrective adjustments to any physiological deficiency than to screen the body for metrics to use as a reference as the athlete moves through her career. The trick is to implement a comprehensive and detailed screening process that assesses the body in diverse ways. Heart rate and respiratory function are important to monitor and track over time to determine how the athlete responds to fatigue and if these are determining factors in other neuromuscular changes. Functional movement and range of motion are important to determine hyper-mobility in any joints or to track the effect on motion and function as a result of therapy, training or trauma. Lastly, cognitive function is important to test and couple with functional movement testing and heart rates in case of head trauma. The effect of a brain injury can show symptoms in any and every function of the body. It is important to have a grasp on the athletes’ brain and body function before any event of this kind occurs.

Nutritional knowledge

Nutritional knowledge is of vital importance. Lack of knowledge of correct dietary habits by athletes is a big problem. High school and college students are faced with the lack of nutritious fast foods that can be prepared easily in their dorms and shared apartments. Additionally, the coupling of certain eating habits and training programs can also result in larger problems and even affect other aspects of the body. The relationship between a balanced diet and disease is a proven fact thus educating the youth on the importance of healthy balanced diet is essential in risk management in sports. This knowledge should also be inclusive of the necessary gender, age, weight and height dietary requirements.


Scientific monitoring

Computer-aided technology provides accurate, scientific risk analysis methods used to monitor athletes training programs and reduce occurrence of injuries in sports. Modern computer technology is used in collection of data of individual athlete’s motions thus providing a quantitative and objective analysis of the skeletal and muscular movements without any restrictions. The data collected helps in structuring each athletes training program eliminating individual risk factors caused by overloading. Preventive measures therefore are taken promptly and deficiencies are easily identified and corrected. Where structural inadequacies are discovered rehabilitative measures are undertaken, monitored and occurrence of relapse is eliminated.